Are You Happy Now?
by Stylin'Fire
Summary: Trust is hard to get back once it has been lost. Can Taylor get Chad’s trust back after an event that could possibly end their relationship forever? Chaylor
1. Prom Promise

Summery: Trust is hard to get back once it has been lost. Can Taylor get Chad's trust back after an event that could possibly end their relationship forever? Chaylor.

Disclaimer: Don't own this...wish I did, but I don't!

Also, I have another story, Ready and Waiting To Fall...read that too please!

Reviews... If you review, it would be really nice! I don't know if people will like this story, but if you review, then I know! Thanks a bunch!

**Prom Promise**

Senior year had started, and it slowly went by, months had come and gone, seasons had changed, and April had finally arrived. The month before Prom. The girls were all happy and giggly about it, while the guys sulked at the thought of wearing a tux.

Chad Danforth walked down the hall toward his girlfriend's locker. He gave a high-five to all of his friends as he walked toward his destination. His girlfriend of two years Taylor McKessie was at her locker, taking out the books she was going to need in order to do the homework that had been assigned.

With Taylor's help, Chad had pulled his grades up, and he was able to attend a very good collage on a basketball scholarship. Taylor, Troy and Gabriella would be joining him in collage, and Chad knew that he wouldn't have it any other way.

Chad was too busy looking at Taylor that he didn't notice all the envious looks that other guys gave him as he wrapped his arms around her waist from behind. She jumped at first, but then relaxed into his arms. Chad kissed the side of her neck as Taylor shut her locker. She turned in his arms and kissed his lips softly.

Ever since Taylor and Chad started dating, Taylor had become somewhat popular, and every guy knew that she was taken, but that didn't stop them from staring at her and making suggestive comments to her. The thing that had made her unpopular in the past wasn't that she was ugly, quite the opposite, she was really pretty; the only problem was that she was a 'geek'. But once Chad started dating her, that notion went flying out of the window.

"Hey baby, what are you doing here?" Taylor asked as she started to walk out of the school with Chad. Chad had his arm around her shoulder, and she interlocked fingers with his.

"Can't a boyfriend spend time with his girlfriend?" Chad asked as Taylor smiled.

"Of course you can, you just didn't tell me that you were going to stop by my locker." Taylor reminded.

"Well, I wanted to walk you home. I feel Taylor deprived." Chad said with a pout. Just then Gabriella and Troy came up to the happy couple.

"Hey guys!" Gabriella said enthusiastically.

"Hey Gabs." Taylor said as she smiled at her best friend, and her best friend's boyfriend.

"Hey Chad, hey Taylor." Troy said with a nod of his head in a greeting.

"Did you hear about the Prom?" Gabriella asked as she pulled Taylor's arm over to herself, and started walking. Chad and Troy just shrugged and walked behind their girlfriends and talked about basketball as the girls giggled.

"Yeah, I did. Sounds like it will be fun!" Taylor said with a squeal.

"I know! we should go shopping this weekend. You in?" Gabriella asked as she tilted her head to the side.

"Of course I am girl!" Taylor said with a smile.

"I'll call you tonight. Troy and I have to go, my mom wants me home to help her make dinner and Troy has to go play basketball with his dad." Gabriella explained as she let go of Taylor's arm, and in turn grabbed Troy's. The couple left with a wave, and they were gone.

Taylor sighed and grabbed Chad's arm again. He wrapped it around her shoulders and held her small hand in his larger one.

"We have been busy lately haven't we?" Taylor asked him as they walked off of the school grounds.

"Yes, we have. I just wanted to be with you. I missed you." Chad said as he kissed the side of her head.

"I missed you too." Taylor said as she laid her head on his shoulder. Chad pulled her closer to him when she did this.

"Hey Tay." Chad asked.

"Yeah?" Taylor asked back, her eyes were closed as Chad guided her down the sidewalk. She felt completely at peace in his arms.

"Do you want to go to Prom with me?" Chad asked as Taylor's eyes shot open.

"Of course I will go to Prom with you Chad, I wouldn't go with anyone else, you know that." Taylor said as she kissed his lips lightly.

"I know that, I was just making sure that you wanted to go with me." Chad said as he kissed her nose in a teasing manner.

"You do know that this means I have to go dress shopping." Taylor said as she drew circles on his hand.

"There is no way in hell that you are dragging me to some store to try things on again. I spent enough time there with you last time to last me a lifetime." Chad said as his eyes darted from one side to the other.

"I wasn't going to take you to the mall with me Chad." Taylor said with a laugh.

"Then why did you make me relive the horror of my last trip to the mall?" Chad asked as he shook his head, clearing the images of him sitting around in a store waiting for Taylor to try some clothes on from his brain.

"We may not be able to spend a lot of time together beforehand because Gabby and I will most likely go shopping this weekend." Taylor explained.

"You mean to tell me that once I get you back, I lose you to your best friend?" Chad asked dramatically, placing his hand over his heart.

"You never lost me Chad. And you won't lose me…just think of it as Gabriella 'borrowing' me for a short amount of time. So that I can blow you away with my killer dress." Taylor said as she struck a pose.

"Fine, I guess I can hang out with Troy tomorrow. But it's still not the same as being with you." Chad said as he stuck out his bottom lip.

"Well, you'll get over it. You have me Chad. Just not tomorrow or most likely Sunday." Taylor said as she kissed his bottom lip.

"I better have you." Chad said as he deepened the kiss. Taylor kissed him back with as much passion as she could.

Taylor was the first to pull away while Chad whined.

"Why did you stop baby?" Chad asked as he hugged her to him.

"I need to get home and finish my homework." Taylor said as she looked up into his face.

"Can't you work on it later. It's Taylor and Chad time." Chad said as he held her even closer then he had before.

"Well it seems that I have a busy weekend ahead of me, and I may not have time to do it later, and if I don't do it then my grades go down and if my grades go down I won't be valedictorian." Taylor explained to him.

Chad had gotten this speech many times throughout their relationship. It was just another thing to love about Taylor.

Chad sighed in defeat. "Fine, I'll walk you home." Chad said as they started to walk again, but this time, much slower.

When they reached Taylor's house, Chad kissed her softly on the lips.

"Call me?" Taylor asked his as she unlocked her front door.

"Always." Chad said as he turned away from her and started to walk towards his own house.

Review please!


	2. The Truth Comes Out

_WOW! 6 reviews in one day! Thank you all so much! Here is the next chapter! Drama begins here! Review please!_

**The Truth Comes Out**

"How about this one?" Gabriella asked her best friend as she held up a puke green dress. Taylor looked at it with a disgust written all over her face.

For the past two hours, Gabby had thrown a random dress at Taylor, and then shoved her unceremoniously into the changing room. Taylor felt as if she had put on almost every dress in the whole store, maybe even every dress in the mall.

"You couldn't even pay me to wear that dress Gabby." Taylor said as she shook her head.

"Well I found my dress yesterday Taylor." Gabriella reminded her. Taylor sighed. Gabby had found a beautiful dress. It was hot pink with beaded flowers scattered around the dress. It had spaghetti straps, and barley touched the ground.

"I know you did, I picked it out." Taylor reminded.

The duo had gone shopping yesterday, and Taylor had no luck with finding a dress. Taylor started to feel as if she would never find _the _dress. She needed a dress that would make her look beautiful, and make Chad's jaw drop to the floor. And so far she had no such luck in finding the beautiful-jaw-dropping-dress.

Taylor continued to look through the racks of dresses. She gasped when she found one that she liked. She showed it to Gabriella and then walked into the changing room to try it on. As she was slipping the silky dress on, she heard Gabriella pacing in front of the door, anxious to see the dress on her best friend.

When Taylor got out of the dressing room, Gabriella gasped. Taylor looked beautiful in the dress. The dress wasn't a dark purple, but it wasn't a light purple either, it was a medium purple with beadwork all over the dress. It dragged slightly on the ground, but accented Taylor's figure and it showed her true personality.

"This is the one Gabby!" Taylor squealed.

"It is beautiful Taylor, you look stunning in it. You have to get it!" Gabby said as she walked around Taylor in a circle, examining the dress carefully.

"Do you think that Chad will like it?" Taylor asked. She was scared that Chad wouldn't like it.

"Like it? He will love it Taylor! You will knock his socks off!" Gabriella said as she gave Taylor a reassuring smile.

"I'll get out of this masterpiece, and we will go pay for it." Taylor said as she started to walk back to the dressing room. Gabriella nodded her head. She loved the dress that Taylor had chosen; it was perfect for her best friend. What she had told Taylor was true, Gabriella truly believe that Taylor would knock Chad's socks off.

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**At Chad's House**

"So what are your girlfriends up to today?" Jason asked.

"Dress shopping." Chad and Troy said together. All of the boys shuddered.

"I feel bad for you Chad." Zeke said suddenly as he looked at Chad with sympathetic eyes.

"Why do you feel bad for me?" Chad asked, completely confused at his friends statement.

"Well every guy in school knows not to mess with Gabriella because there would be hell to pay. Right Troy?" Jason asked.

"Yeah." Troy said simply.

"And everyone knows not to mess with Sharpay and Kelsi" Zeke explained.

"The only reason people don't mess with Sharpay is because she is the Ice Queen, or maybe even a Mountain Lion." Chad said with a laugh.

"That is not funny Chad. She has changed!" Zeke explained.

"Whatever, so go back to what you were saying." Chad said as he motioned for them to continue.

"As I was saying, people don't mess with Sharpay, Gabriella and Kelsi, everyone knows that we are dating them and that they are off limits." Zeke continued.

"So, your point is?" Chad asked.

"Everybody knows that your dating Taylor, but most guys don't care, they hit on her anyway. You never really made her off limits." Jason began.

"THEY WHAT?" Chad yelled as he stood up from his seat on the couch.

"You didn't know about that?" Jason asked, his eyes wide in surprise.

"If I knew, don't you think that I would be taking this information better then I am right now?" Chad shot back at them.

"No." They all answered.

"How long has this been going on?" Chad asked. His eyes burning with anger.

"Two years." Troy said.

"Two years, and Taylor never told me?" Chad asked himself as he sat back down.

"Maybe she didn't want you to get mad." Zeke tried to explain.

"Yeah, guys are bound to hit on Taylor." Jason added.

"They can't hit on her, she is mine!" Chad yelled.

"If Taylor was here now, I believe she would be yelling at you because you are treating her like an object, not a girlfriend." Zeke said cautiously.

"How did you guys know about this, and I didn't?" Chad asked.

"We see it in the hallways, like on Friday, a guy came up to Taylor and asked her to the Prom but she said no." Jason said as he recalled the most recent event.

"I thought that every person in school knew that Taylor was mine, and mine alone." Chad wondered aloud.

"Like I said before, she is not an object." Zeke reminded.

"Shut up Zeke!" Jason and Troy yelled.

"So guys just come up to her an ask her out?" Chad asked.

Three nods gave him his first answer.

"My girlfriend is hit on for almost two years, and not one of you had the decency to even tell me?" Chad yelled. He thanked Taylor silently; she had yelled at him, using a large word 'decency' to be exact, he had no idea what it had meant, so she had to give him the definition. Now he was happy that he knew a large word that he could fit into this important of a conversation.

"Chad, calm down, we thought you knew." Troy said as he tried to calm down his best friend. Chad shook his head.

"I just can't believe that Taylor would keep this from me. We tell each other everything." Chad mused aloud.

"Like I said before, I bet she was scared that you would overreact." Zeke reminded him once more.

"I just can't believe that she didn't tell me." Chad said again.

"You trust Taylor, don't you Chad?" Troy asked.

"I trust Taylor with my life." Chad answered automatically.

"Then don't worry, guys are bound to hit on her, she is a woman so guys will like her and flirt with her. Just remember that she loves _you _not some random guy. You trust her to turn them all down. So don't jump overboard here." Troy said.

"A relationship is based on trust, if you can't trust her, you can't be in a relationship with her." Zeke calmly explained.

"That sounded like something Gabriella would say." Chad said, his eyes still burning with anger.

"What can I say? I'm in touch with my feminine side." Zeke said as he looked at the three guys that were laughing at him.

"In touch with your feminine side?" Chad asked as he started to laugh harder.

"Stop laughing at me, besides we are getting off topic here. Do you understand Chad?" Zeke asked as he ignored the snickers that came from his friends.

"Yea, I do." Chad said grudgingly, he was still extremely mad about guys hitting on his girlfriend. "It was just a surprise is all. I still need to talk to her, you know, about not telling me about it in the first place." Chad said as he sighed.


	3. Loyalty and Trust

You guys seem to like my story! I feel special!

As to one of my reviews, they were shocked that Taylor would keep something like that from Chad. Think about it, Chad overreacts, and there was nothing that he could have done about it. Watch the movie, and notice how he overreacts after the song "Stick to the status quo" he overreacts about Troy's "Singing thing" So, thought that I should clear that up!

I have update three times in three days! WOW! I have been given such positive feedback that makes me update! So thanks to all of you who reviewed! You make my tiring days happy! And please review, it makes my day!

**Loyalty and Trust**

Sunday evening Chad walked towards Taylor's front door and knocked three times loudly. He heard shuffling coming from inside the house and a yell that sounded like 'I'm okay!' Chad chuckled as he recognized Taylor's voice.

The door opened and a ruffled Taylor stood in front of him with a large smile, it was obvious that she had just fallen down by her disheveled appearance.

"Chad!" She exclaimed as she pulled him into a passionate kiss. Chad returned the kiss eagerly.

"Hey Tay." Chad said breathlessly after they pulled apart.

"Not that I am mad, but what are you doing here?" Taylor asked.

"I needed to talk to you. Can I come in?" Chad asked. Taylor nodded her head and opened the door further to give Chad access to her house. Chad walked in and started up the stairs to Taylor's room.

Taylor came in behind him and closed the door.

"Chad, what's wrong?" Taylor asked as she nervously bit her lip.

"Nothing, nothing is wrong, I just need to talk to you about something." Chad said as he sat down on her bed. He nodded his head towards the spot next to him, motioning for her to join him.

"You're scaring me Chad." Taylor said after a minute of silence.

"Taylor, I am going to ask you something, and I need you to be perfectly honest. Can you answer me honestly?" Chad asked as he took her hands into his.

"Yes." Taylor said, as she grew anxious.

"Has a guy ever come onto you? Has a guy ever asked you out or made rude or suggestive comments to you?" Chad asked calmly.

"Yes." Taylor answered honestly.

"Then why did you never tell me baby?" Chad asked as he let her hands go and stood up in anger.

"I didn't want you to overreact." Taylor defended as she stood up to stare Chad right in the eye.

"Overreact?" Chad questioned, his voice rising.

"Yes overreact, just like you are doing now!" Taylor yelled.

"I wouldn't have to overreact if my _girlfriend _would tell me about something like this." Chad yelled back.

"Fine you want to know what happens?" Taylor asked as her voice took on a softer note.

"YES!" Chad yelled.

"Fine! Guys come up to me in the hallways and tell me I look pretty, I thank them to be polite, and then I turn and walk away. Guys come up and ask me out, I tell them that I have a boyfriend that I am madly in love with and to leave me alone. I don't string them along, they know that my heart belongs to you." Taylor yelled.

"Oh." Was all that Chad could say after her speech.

"And to think that my boyfriend doesn't trust me enough to reject guys that ask me out!" Taylor yelled at the top of her lungs. Chad was really happy that they were all alone in the house because if they weren't, there would be hell to pay.

"Are you saying that I don't trust you?" Chad asked.

"Yes." Taylor said simply.

"I trust you Taylor, it is just those guys that I don't trust." Chad said sadly.

"Well, from my point of view, it seems like you don't trust me enough to be loyal to you, and _only _you." Taylor said as she sat back down on her bed. Chad joined her and turned towards her.

"Well I do trust you, but how can I keep hold of that trust if you keep things from me?" Chad asked.

"I didn't want you to get hurt!" Taylor yelled.

"Does it look like I am not hurt right now Taylor, I thought that you told me everything, and then my three best friends tell me that what I thought was all a lie?" Chad asked as his voice shook with pent up emotion.

"I do tell you everything, I just didn't want you to overreact at such a small thing." Taylor shot back.

"The thing that makes me mad Taylor, is the fact that you kept something like this from me." Chad said as he calmed down a bit.

"I didn't try to keep it from you so that it would hurt you in the end Chad. I kept it from you because I thought that I would be saving you the pain. But now I see that I am causing the pain." Taylor said sadly. She looked down at her hands and blinked her eyes rapidly, trying to get the tears to go away.

"Without trust there is no relationship Taylor, you and I both know this. I trust you with my life, but you can't keep things from me. Even if they are bad things, I think I have the right to know. With you keeping this from me, it makes me wonder what else you are hiding. But right now I trust you enough to know that you wouldn't hide another thing from me." Chad said as he lifted her face up so that he could look into her eyes.

"I'm so sorry." Taylor said as the tears started to roll down her cheeks, she tried to stop them, but they continued to fall.

"Don't cry baby. I love you, and nothing will change that." Chad said as he wiped away her tears. He hated to see her cry, and hated it even more when he was the cause of her tears and sadness.

"I just thought I was doing the right thing. I don't want to lose you." Taylor said as her tears came faster then they had before.

"You won't lose me. Just promise me that you won't keep things from me, even if they will hurt me. Do you promise?" Chad asked, as he looked deep into her eyes.

"Yes, I promise." Taylor said as she closed her eyes, trying to get her tears to stop while nodding her head to show that she was not going to keep something like this from him again.

"That's my girl." Chad said before he captured her lips with his own. Taylor's tears continued to fall, but she kissed him back.

When Chad pulled back, he had a soft smile on his face the mirrored Taylor's. He loved to see her smile, and loved it even more when he was the cause of her smile. Her smile could light up a room, add her smile to her great personality and he had his dream girl.

He also knew that she had a sarcastic side, and behind those perfect teeth was a sharp tongue that could be set off at any moment.

"I'll see you tomorrow, okay?" Chad asked as he stood up from his current spot on the bed.

"Of course." Taylor said as she stood up too. She kissed his cheek lightly before they walked out of her room and to the front door. Chad kissed her one more time before leaving.


	4. Loves Little Surprises

THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH! If you want to see Taylor and Gabriella's dresses, look at my profile…thing. I have links!

I can't believe you all like the story this much. I am so happy now! YAY! I was really hesitant to actually put this story up because it is more in depth then any of my others stories, so after I post it, I am sitting on pins and needles!

You all have given me such positive feedback and I thank you all sooooooooooooooooooooooo much! If you like this story, you may like my other story, Ready and Waiting To Fall another Chayor. Thanks and please review!

**Loves Little Surprises**

The school day had gone on like any other. Taylor was actually glad that the day was over; she needed to go home and think her feelings through. She had left Chad in a huff. He had stopped by her locker to say goodbye, but she had brushed him off.

She didn't want to be mean, she just needed to sort out her feelings about the fight that they had the previous day.

As Taylor walked down the sidewalk, she heard footsteps behind her. She turned around to see Alex More, running to catch up to her. She slowed her walking until he was right next to her.

Her and Alex had been friends in elementary school, but they had drifted apart in middle school. They were nice to each other, they waved to the other in the hallway, and sometime had short conversations, but never talked like they used to.

"Hi Taylor." Alex said as he smiled at her.

"Hey Alex." Taylor said as she tried to smile, but failed horribly.

"How have you been?" Alex asked, trying to keep the conversation from slipping into an awkward silence.

"I've been pretty good, you?" Taylor asked politely.

"I could be better." Alex replied honestly. Taylor was too busy catching up with Alex that she didn't hear Chad's footsteps coming towards her, or his voice calling after her.

"Well, I guess that's good?" Taylor asked uncertainly.

"It's okay, but I know what could make my life better." Alex asked as he took a step closer to Taylor.

"What are you-" Taylor was cut off by his lips as they came crashing down onto hers. She gasped, she tried to push him off of her, but he was too strong.

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Chad had been chasing Taylor for five blocks! He needed to ask her what was wrong. When he had tried to talk to her, she had run off, and he didn't know why.

As he came to a turn, he saw Taylor walking with another guy. This made Chad's blood boil. He watched as the guy took a step closer to her and the surprised look that came over her face.

He continued to walk towards them as he continued to call out her name. What he saw next made his heart break into millions of little pieces.

Taylor and that guy kissed.

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Taylor continued to try and push Alex off of her, but he was twice her size. Her eyes were wide open as her eyes darted from side to side, looking for help. She heard pounding footsteps coming closer.

Alex was pulled off of her and she roughly fell to the ground. Chad stood above them; unshed tears in his dark brown eyes. He punched Alex with all of his might.

When he had punched him three times Chad had enough of the physical fight and decided to end it verbally. "GET AWAY FROM HERE!" Chad yelled.

Alex complied and got up from the ground, shaking the whole time. He turned away from Chad and faced Taylor, he smiled at her mockingly. He then turned the other way and ran, as fast as he possibly could.

"How could you do this to my Taylor?" Chad asked as tears slid down his face, leaving a track behind them.

"Chad that was not what it looks like!" Taylor tried to explain as she got herself up from the ground.

"Not what it looks like? Did you slip and his lips broke your fall?" Chad asked sarcastically.

"Chad just listen to me, please!" Taylor begged.

"What is there to listen to? It sure as hell looked like my _girlfriend _was kissing a guy that was _not _her boyfriend!" Chad yelled.

"I tried to push him off of me Chad!" Taylor tried to explain again.

"That's not what it looked like Taylor!" Chad fired back at her.

"Why won't you believe me?" Taylor asked as tears began to fall form her eyes too.

"Because I don't think that I can trust you. First you kept information from me, then I find you kissing another guy!" Chad yelled.

"Chad just let me explain! Please! You have it all wrong!" Taylor begged again, tears falling from her eyes at a record pace.

"What is there to explain? I catch the woman that I love kissing another man. How can I take this the wrong way Taylor?" Chad asked her as he wiped angrily at his eyes.

"Chad, please." Taylor said as her tears continued to fall.

"No Taylor, I am tired of your excuses. I bet this has happened a lot since we began dating." Chad said as he ran his hand through his hair.

"NO! This has never happened before, I didn't want it to happen!" Taylor yelled.

"I don't think we can be together." Chad said softly.

"You don't mean that Chad!" Taylor said, as her knees grew weak.

"I do mean it Taylor, I can't keep wondering if you are going to cheat on me. I can't live that way." Chad said as he dried his eyes.

"Chad! Please don't!" Taylor cried.

"I'm sorry." Chad said as he walked away from her.

Taylor let out a heartbreaking sob and fell to the ground in sadness. She couldn't believe that this had happened. She had a great guy that loved her to pieces, and Alex had to come and ruin it. Her body was shaking with the power of her cries. She felt as if her whole world was shattering. She sat on the ground, broken, not filled with the laughter and joy that she was known for, she was just broken.

She felt her heart shatter into a million pieces, it felt like someone had stabbed her in the heart repeatedly, and then her heart was left to bleed. Taking a deep breath, she stood up on wobbly legs. Tears continued to stream down her face as she walked home.

She walked into her house and up the stairs into her room. She grabbed her phone and called the only person that could ever comfort her.

After three rings a voice answered.

"Hello?" the voice asked.

"Gabriella, Chad broke up with me." Taylor said before her dam broke, and the tears fell freely.

"Oh Taylor! I am so sorry, I will come over right now, and I will stay the night with you." Gabriella said as Taylor heard rustling in the background, signaling that Gabriella was gathering some of her possessions.

"Thanks Gabby, you're a great friend." Taylor said as she smiled through her tears.

"I'll be right there!" Gabriella said before she hung up the phone. She quickly called Troy and told him the situation before she left her house to go to Taylor's.

Gabriella silently cursed love, and it's little surprises.


	5. Not Enough

Thanks so much for all the lovely reviews! I know some of you are upset about the breakup…but it is the big drama part of the story. I think that this chapter might be a bit sad…but it is REALLY important to the story.

Like I said before, if you want to see the dresses, I have the links in my profile! Read and please review!

**Not Enough**

Taylor sat on the floor of her room, rocking back and forth. Gabriella sat with her, a tub of ice cream next to them.

"Shhh. It will be okay." Gabriella tried to soothe.

"N-n-n-NO! It will not be o-okay!" Taylor wailed as her tears increased tenfold.

"What do you mean? You'll get through this, I'm there for you Tay." Gabriella said as she rocked Taylor in a comforting manor.

"He was always there for me, n-n-now he won't be there for m-me!" Taylor said as her head fell into her hands.

"Tell me what happened." Gabriella said as Taylor lifted her head.

"I was walking h-home from school, and Alex More s-started talking to me. I d-didn't want to be rude, so I t-talked to him. He then said s-s-something about his life not being g-great, and how he knew a w-way to make it better." Taylor said as her tears started to flow faster then they had before she began talking.

"Then what happened? What made Chad so mad?" Gabriella prodded.

"He t-took a step c-closer to me and he k-kis-kissed me!" Taylor wailed.

"Did Chad see you kissing him?" Gabriella asked.

"Y-ye-yes." Taylor answered as she whimpered.

"So now we know why Chad broke up with you." Gabriella began as Taylor whimpered again.

"Yes." Taylor got out before she started to sob uncontrollably

"Did you want Alex to kiss you?" Gabriella asked.

"N-n-n-NO! NEVER! I l-love Chad!" Taylor wailed.

"So all you need to do is talk to him Taylor! Simple as that!" Gabriella exclaimed.

"NO!" Taylor wailed again.

"What do you mean 'No'" Gabriella asked.

"No it is not that simple." Taylor said.

"How is my plan not that simple?" Gabriella questioned.

"Chad won't even look to me, let alone talk to me. I hurt him too much." Taylor said as she put her head back into her hands.

"I'll ask Troy to talk some sense into him." Gabriella said as she pulled out her cell phone.

"Thank you." Taylor said as she lay down onto her bed.

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**With Chad and Troy**

"Chad, man you need to calm down!" Troy said as his friend attempted to throw his basketball at a picture of Taylor that sat on his desk.

"How can I calm down when I found by girlfriend kissing another guy?" Chad yelled.

"Just hold on a second. Take deep breaths." Troy said as he reached for his ringing cell phone.

While Chad was taking deep breaths, Troy answered his phone.

"Hello?" Troy asked as he kept an alert eye on Chad.

"Troy, it's Gabriella." Gabriella said from the other line.

"Oh hey Gabby." Troy said as a smile slid onto his face.

"I have a big problem, you see I have a hysterical Taylor here, and I think that I need help." Gabby said as shuffling was heard on the other end.

"Why? What happened to her?" Troy asked, although he had a feeling that he knew.

"Chad dumped her." Gabriella said bluntly.

"I had a feeling that you were calling about that. I have Chad here…" Troy said, letting the sentence drift off.

"Well, from what Taylor told me, he didn't let her explain." Gabriella said as she sighed.

"Well in Chad's defense, what Taylor did was wrong, and if I were Chad, I wouldn't want to talk to her either." Troy said defensively.

"No, you don't understand Troy, it was all a misunderstanding!" Gabriella shrieked.

"How can something like this be a misunderstanding?" Troy asked as he ran a hand through his hair.

"This guy, Alex, he knew Taylor before this, and I think that he liked her from what I can gather from Taylor. I think they were friends." Gabriella started to explain.

"So they were friends, what's your point?" Troy asked, somewhat aggravated.

"Taylor said that she was walking home and Alex started to talk to her. He got closer to her and told her that his life could be better then he kissed her. Taylor tried to push him off, but he is stronger, this much we all know for a fact." Gabriella explained.

"Likely story." Troy said, defending his friend.

"I know Taylor, and the Taylor I know doesn't lie. From what I have heard about Alex, he is a liar." Gabriella tried to convince her boyfriend.

"Yeah, he is a liar." Troy agreed.

"So then who are you going to believe Troy, your girlfriends best friend and a friend of yours, or a guy who is known as a liar?" Gabriella asked.

"You and Taylor." Troy mumbled.

"Good, now please talk to Chad, tell him that he should at least hear Taylor out." Gabriella ordered.

"OK. Love you, bye." Troy said as he shut his ell phone. He turned to Chad who was currently sitting on the ground, his head in his hands.

"What's up with Gabby?" Chad asked, his voice slightly muffled by his hands.

"Well, apparently Taylor is with Gabby, and she is crying and almost not even able to talk." Troy said as he sat down next to Chad.

"I don't know why she is crying, I'm the one that got hurt, not her." Chad said angrily.

"Gabby told me what Taylor's side of the story was." Troy began before he was cut off.

"There is no story Troy. Taylor cheated on me, end of story." Chad said bitterly.

"Can I at least tell you what Gabby told me?" Troy asked.

"Fine." Chad said grudgingly.

"Well, Taylor was walking home when Alex came up to her. Apparently they had been friends a long time ago, so they are talking and Alex gets closer to Taylor and says that his 'life could be better' and then he kissed her. She tried to push him off, but we both know that she would fail because he is stronger then her." Troy said as he looked at Chad carefully.

"Even if that is the truth, it doesn't change anything." Chad said sadly.

"But Chad, you can apologize for jumping to conclusions and we will all be happy again." Troy tried to reason.

"No because I would never be able to live with it. I would always wonder if she is cheating on me or if I was good enough for her. It's better that we ended it sooner rather then later, it spares us both some pain." Chad said as his eyes started to shine with unshed tears.

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"Maybe if we-" Gabriella began.

"No." Taylor choked out.

"No? What do you mean 'No'?" Gabriella asked.

"If he doesn't believe me, then there is nothing that we can do." Taylor said with her voice shaking.

"But we could-" Gabriella began again before she was cut off again.

"No, I just have to accept that love isn't always enough." Taylor said before a new wave of tears came over her.

"You don't believe that." Gabriella said softly.

"I don't?" Taylor asked sarcastically. Gabriella shrugged, unsure of the answer. "Chad and I have been through so much, and if we can't get through this, then it shows that love is not always enough." Taylor finished softly.

"You don't believe that Taylor…or at least you didn't." Gabriella pleaded.

"Well, I do now." Taylor said before lying down on her bed and she fell into a fitful sleep.


	6. Doubts

Sorry for not updating yesterday, things got hectic. Hope you like this chapter, some problems are solved. Please review!

**Doubts **

A few days later Chad was taking a walk to clear his mind. His parents were worried about him because he had barely touched his food that night, and that wasn't like him.

Chad had been having a debate with himself for the past few days. He could understand Taylor's side of the story; he was just hesitant to believe it. He wanted to believe her; he was just scared that he would end up getting hurt in the end.

He loved her, he didn't question that. He knew that she loved him, even with knowing all of this; he was still hesitant to accept the story. He never really liked Alex; the guy just had a weird vibe about him that Chad couldn't place.

Chad took a deep breath of the night air, and continued on his walk. He had seemed upset at school, everybody saw through his fake smile. He would be surrounded by his friends, and for the first time in his life, he had felt utterly alone.

Taylor couldn't even look at him without crying. She wasn't her usual happy self, and Chad felt guilty. He was the reason that Taylor was suffering so much. He believed her; he was just trying to save himself from the pain.

He was in pain right now, he could fix it all just by saying that he was sorry for reacting horribly to Taylor. But the question that was haunting his mind was: _Could he risk his heart again?_

Chad sighed in frustration and ran a hand through his hair. He had gone on a walk to clear his head, but instead of it clearing he was left with more thought and questions.

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Taylor had to get out of her house! Her mother was driving her up the wall! Taylor could handle the looks of sympathy, but her mother saying that she was sorry over and over and over again, that was driving her crazy!

"I'm going on a walk! I'll be back soon!" Taylor said, thankful that it was a Friday, and her curfew was later.

"Okay honey!" Her mother called back.

Taylor walked out of the door and let out a sigh of relief. She felt as if she had been held prisoner inside of her own house for the past week! Taylor walked down the front porches steps and onto her driveway. She walked to the sidewalk and let her feet guide her.

She didn't know where she was going; all she knew was that she needed to get away from the house. Even if only for a little bit. Taylor had been acting happy in front of her family, putting on a brave face, but everyone, even her, knew what she was doing; she was running from the pain.

She held in her tears at school, unless she saw Chad, and then she would break down. When he didn't believe her, she felt betrayed. Chad had always listened to her, but not this time.

_Do you blame him? _Her mind asked her as she walked down the sidewalk. And the truth was no, she couldn't blame him, if the roles had been reversed, she would have thought the same thing about him.

She knew that she couldn't keep living like this, it would kill her. But she couldn't and wouldn't do the alternative. She would not just get over Chad, she couldn't move on. She had fallen in love, harder then she ever thought possible. And when Chad had broken up with her, she was left to pick up the pieces.

What she had told Gabriella was true, she had once believed that love was always enough, but now she had doubts. If love was enough, she wouldn't be in this situation, and she wouldn't have her heart shattered into tiny pieces that she didn't know if she could ever get put back together.

She heard footsteps behind her and gasped. She was being followed, and she was alone. She quickened her pace, hoping to find a person soon, but the footsteps behind her quickened also. Taylor was starting to panic when someone grabbed her shoulder. She turned around abruptly and gasped.

"Alex!" Taylor said relieved that he wasn't some crazy person off of the street. She wasn't happy to see him, on the contrary, she hated his guts, but she was happy that he wasn't some crazy stalker.

"Hey baby." Alex slurred his words together. He breathed on her face and Taylor about threw up. His breath stank of beer.

"Don't call me baby." Taylor snapped.

"But you are my baby." Alex said as he attempted to pull her into his arms. Taylor struggled and managed to take a step away from him.

"Your drunk!" Taylor accused.

"No I'm not, I had a drink…or two…or twelve." Alex said before laughing hysterically. He grabbed her again, and this time he had a firm grip.

"Get off of me!" Taylor yelled as his grip hardened slightly.

"Don't tell me what to do!" Alex yelled before slapping her across the face, leaving a bright red handprint on her cheek.

"LET ME GO!" Taylor screamed before being slapped again.

"I love you, why don't you see that?" Alex asked.

"You don't love me! If you loved me you wouldn't be hurting me! You made Chad hate me, and you ruined my life!" Taylor said before she tried desperately to get away.

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Chad continued on his walk before he heard yelling around the corner. He heard what was definitely a slap. Chad winced slightly before rounding the corner. There stood Alex, holding onto Taylor's arm, from the looks of it, Taylor was trying to get away before he slapped her again. Anger clouded his normally clear brown eyes.

"Get away from her!" Chad yelled as he sprinted to them.

"Why should I? You're not her boyfriend anymore; you broke up with her because I kissed her. And no matter how much she fights, she is going to be mine! And she is going to love me!" Alex slurred.

"I will ask you one more time, let her go." Chad demanded in a growl. He looked at Taylor, who had tears running down her face.

"No." Alex stated as he swayed slightly on the spot. Chad, seeing no other way walked up to him and punched him in the jaw. Alex groaned and let go of Taylor's arm. Taylor scrambled away from him as fast as she could.

"Chad?" Taylor whispered after Chad punched Alex again, this time knocking him out.

"Oh Taylor." Chad said as he pulled her into his arms. She buried her head in his shoulder and cried softly, heart-wrenching sobs shaking her body.

"I'm so sorry!" Taylor cried into his shoulder.

"I know baby. Lets get you home." Chad said as he guided her back to her house.

"Okay." Taylor whispered as she let Chad lead her. Chad and Taylor came up to the house five minutes later and Chad opened the door.

"Taylor? Is that you sweetie?" Taylor's mom's voice floated over to them.

"Yes Mrs. McKessie." Chad answered for Taylor.

"Chad?" The woman asked as she walked into the room. "Oh my God, what happened?" she demanded.

"I'll explain it to you, but first let me get Taylor into her room so that she can get ready for bed." Chad said before he let her up the stairs. Chad set Taylor on her bed before he spoke again.

"Take a shower and get ready for bed, I will be right back, and I just need to talk to your mom." Chad whispered before kissing her cheek lightly. Taylor nodded her head before Chad left to talk to her mother.

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"What happened to my daughter Chad?" Mrs. McKessie demanded.

"I was walking down the road and I heard shouting, I walked over to it and I found Alex More yelling at Taylor, then he-he-he smacked her!" Chad said, full of rage.

"I had to get her away, so I punched him twice, and got knocked out because he was drunk. He was rambling about getting Taylor to love him no matter what." Chad finished with a sigh.

"I'm calling the police." Mrs. McKessie said before she walked over to the kitchen to retrieve the phone.

"He should be about three blocks from here." Chad told her before going back upstairs to Taylor. He found her sitting on her bed, with her pajamas on and her hair brushed.

"Did you tell my Mom?" Taylor asked, breaking the silence.

"Yeah." Chad said as he walked over to her bed and sat next to her.

"Thank you." Taylor said softly.

"No problem." Chad said with a small smile.

"Will you stay with me?" Taylor asked hopefully.

"Taylor…" Chad began.

"Not that, I just want you to…will you just hold me?" Taylor asked desperately.

Chad didn't say anything; he lay down on the bed and motioned for her to lie beside him. Taylor turned out the light and lay next to him, her back to his chest. Chad's arm snaked around her wait and pulled her to him. Chad sighed in contentment while they both fell into a dreamless sleep.


	7. Listening Now

Sorry this took so long! I will try and update soon! Please review!

**Listening Now**

The first thing that registered in Taylor's mind was that she was warm, very warm, and comfortable. When her eyes came into focus, Taylor saw that an arm was thrown haphazardly over her waist. She tilted her head to the side slightly and saw a peacefully sleep Chad. Taylor smiled at him; he looked so innocent while sleeping.

Chad mumbled something in his sleep and the grip on her waist tightened slightly, in a possessive manner. His eyes fluttered slightly and then opened up slowly. When he saw Taylor lying next to him, his eyes shot open completely.

"Taylor?" Chad asked, his voice slightly husky.

"Hmmm?" Taylor mumbled as she faced him.

"Are you okay?" Chad asked, sitting up slightly, but not moving his arm from around her waist. Seeing her questioning look he continued, "About you know, what happened last night…" Chad trailed off as he thought about what had happened.

"Yeah, I wouldn't have been if you hadn't saved me though." Taylor said with a smile.

"I'm glad your okay." Chad replied.

"Why did you stay with me?" Taylor asked suddenly.

"Because you asked me to." Chad answered, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"No, I mean why?" Taylor asked again.

"You lost me there Taylor." Chad said confused by her question.

"I don't get why you stayed, you hate me, don't you?" Taylor asked sadly.

"I could never hate you Taylor." Chad said as his arm tightened around her waist.

"But we broke up, and I hurt you more then I ever thought possible. I hurt _you _Chad. And all this time I thought it would be you would hurt me, not the other way around." Taylor explained.

"Yes you hurt me, but after what I saw last night, I don't think it was your fault. And as for getting hurt…that's not very nice you know." Chad pouted.

"I didn't mean it like that, I meant that I thought you would leave me for a cheerleader, eventually figuring out that I'm not good enough for you." Taylor said with her face downcast.

"Taylor, I love you, I wouldn't leave you for a cheerleader!" Chad exclaimed.

"I love you too, but we're over, you said so yourself!" Taylor explained loudly.

"Well-" Chad began.

"No! I came to the conclusion last night that with us, love wasn't enough. And even if we did get back together, it wouldn't be the same, we would have some trust issues." Taylor said as tears came into her eyes.

"Love is _always_ enough Taylor, you were the one that taught me that! What made you believe differently?" Chad asked.

"Life Chad, life." Taylor said sadly.

"And yes our relationship wouldn't be the same as before, but it would be _stronger _Taylor! We may have some problems, but when we get through it, it makes us stronger as a couple. I love you Taylor, and I want, no scratch that, I _need _to be with you." Chad said with such an amount of passion, that Taylor was momentarily speechless.

"I need to be with you too." Taylor whispered.

"Then what's the problem?" Chad asked her.

"I'm scared!" Taylor yelled finally.

"Scared? Scared of what?" Chad asked as he held her hand in his.

"I'm scared of being hurt again." Taylor whispered.

"I won't hurt you." Chad whispered back.

"You can't promise that Chad." Taylor replied.

"I know I can't, but I can try not to Tay." Chad explained.

"I love you." Taylor said before she hugged him tightly, crying softly into his chest.

"I love you too, so much." Chad whispered as he ran his hand through her hair.

"So are we back together?" Taylor mumbled into his chest.

"Yes Taylor, we are." Chad said with his first genuine smile in a week.

"Good." Taylor mumbled before kissing his passionately. Chad was more then happy to accept the kiss, and the two continued with their kissing for a few moments before Chad suddenly stopped.

"What wrong?" Taylor asked as she tried to catch her breath.

"We need to figure out what happened to Alex." Chad said as he stood up and pulled Taylor with him.

"But I don't wanna!" Taylor whined like a three year old.

"Come on baby." Chad whispered in her ear.

"Fine." Taylor grumbled.

"I love you." Chad said sweetly as he pulled her down the stairs.

"Yeah, yeah." Taylor mumbled as she was dragged.

"Hi Mrs. McKessie!" Chad said happily.

"I see that you stayed the night Chad." Mrs. McKessie said as she examined the two, clearly amused by their red faces.

"Nothing happened Mom, he was just comforting me." Taylor explained as she tried to hide her face in Chad's chest.

"I know, I just had to tease you two!" Mrs. McKessie said happily.

"Well, we came down here to ask you a question." Chad said as he hugged Taylor closer to his body.

"Ask away." Mrs. McKessie said as took a sip of her coffee.

"What did the police say when you called them?" Chad asked as he sat down across from Mrs. McKessie at the kitchen table. Taylor took that opportunity to sit on Chad and bury her head in his neck.

"Well-" Mrs. McKessie began before she saw Taylor sitting on her boyfriend. "Taylor, what are you doing?" Mrs. McKessie asked with a small laugh.

"Trying to go back to sleep." Taylor mumbled from Chad's neck. Chad laughed and pulled her tighter to his body, wrapping his arms around her, holding her in place.

"As I was saying, they are going to send him to jail for five years for sexual assault. And then we are getting a restraining order, he will not be able to come within one mile of you Taylor." Mrs. McKessie explained.

"I'm glad he's in jail, because if he wasn't, I would have beat the crap out of him." Chad said seriously.

"My hero." Taylor mumbled from her spot on his lap. Chad started to tickle her and Taylor started to squirm.

"Stop!" Taylor yelled between giggles. "I love you and you are the best boyfriend in the whole wide world!" Taylor said. Chad, happy with the answer, stopped tickling her.

"I love you more." Chad whispered in her ear.

"You guys are so cute!" Gabriella gushed as her and Troy walked into the kitchen.

"How'd you guys get in here?" Chad asked as he turned his attention from his girlfriend to his friends.

"Mr. McKessie let us in. Hi Mrs. McKessie!" Gabriella said as she hugged Taylor's mom.

"Good to see you Gabriella. I'm going to go and water the garden, have fun kids, just not too much fun." She said with a wink at the four teens.

"So, you guys back together?" Gabriella asked with excitement.

"Yeah." Chad said dreamily. He kissed Taylor in the cheek after he hugged her from behind.

"What brought about this change of heart come about?" Troy asked.

"Well, last night Alex tried to kiss me again, then he hit me a few times." Taylor began when Gabriella gasped. Taylor gave her a reassuring smile before she continued. "Then my knight in shining armor came and saved me, and the rest is history." Taylor finished.

"Knight." Troy snorted.

"You got a problem with that?" Chad asked.

"Nope, knight." Troy said with another laugh. Gabriella hit him on the back of the head before she turned to Taylor and smiled.


	8. To Stay With Her

35 reviews!-Stylin'Fire falls off chair- Wow! Thanks for all of your feed back! There is one more chapter after this one, and then my pretties, it is sadly over. If you want to see the dresses, then go to my profile, (reminding you again! ha!) I should have the promise ring on my profile too! Thanks for reading and please review!

**To Stay With Her**

"Troy?" Chad asked over the phone as his friend answered.

"Yeah?" Try said as he walked around his room.

"I have a really big favor to ask." Chad said softly.

"Depends on what the favor is." Troy grumbled.

"I need you to go with me to get Taylor a promise ring." Chad said hopefully.

"Fine, good a day as any, the girls are getting all dressed up for Prom and it takes us like ten minutes to get ready tops." Troy said as he walked out of his room.

"Good! I'll be there in five minutes!" Chad said happily before he hung up.

"Why do people not say 'bye' anymore?" Troy asked himself.

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"I love getting my hair done, don't you?" Gabriella said with a wistful voice.

"Yeah." Taylor said as the stylist curled her hair. She had asked the hairstylist to leave her hair down, but have the front of it pulled back.

"I'm so exited!" Gabriela squealed.

"I am too!" Taylor said with a smile.

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"So, what type of ring are you going to get her?" Troy asked as he looked at the glass case that held promise rings.

"Nothing too small…but nothing too big." Chad explained, as he looked at all the rings in the display case.

"Hmmm." Troy said as he looked at the rings.

"I think that this is the one." Chad said suddenly.

"What?" Troy asked as he came up to Chad. Chad pointed to a ring that sparkled in the well-lit room.

Troy let out a long whistle as he looked at the ring. It was small, but not too small. There was a single diamond that was held together with a white gold band. From the looks of it, it would fit Taylor's ring finger without needing to be sized.

"Sir, I would like to purchase that ring." Chad said as he pointed to the ring in the case. The man nodded his head and opened the case. He took the ring out and put it into a small black velvet box. Chad grinned as he pared for the ring, and Troy and Chad hurried home to get ready for the prom.

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"The guys should be here any minute!" Gabriella squealed as Taylor put in her earring. Taylor rolled her eyes at Gabriella's enthusiasm, but inside she was jumping for joy.

"I think that I'm done. Are you?" Taylor asked as she looked at her appearance critically.

"Yup!" Gabriella said happily.

"Gabs, you look gorgeous!" Taylor said as Gabriella spun around like a model, giggling the whole time.

"Well, look at you Tay, you look stunning!" Gabriella said as Taylor blushed.

"Thanks." Taylor mumbled as her blush started to disappear.

"I think I should get home. Troy will be there is about an hour, and my mother will be taking my picture…so that may take awhile!" Gabriella said as she hugged Taylor quickly. "Bye!" Gabriella said before rushing out of the door.

"Bye!" Taylor yelled after her.

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Chad took a deep breath as he got out of the limo. He walked towards Taylor's front door and reached for the doorbell. He hesitantly pushed the button, and the doorbell rang throughout the house.

The door swung open about a minute later. "Chad!" Mrs. McKessie said as she smiled at her daughter's boyfriend.

"Hello Mrs. McKessie." Chad said as he was ushered inside of the house.

"I'll go get Taylor." Mrs. McKessie said as she winked at him.

Chad nodded his head and stood by the front door, left hand in his pocket, and the other holding the corsage that he was going to give to Taylor. He heard footsteps and his head shot up, expecting to see Taylor, instead, he saw Mrs. Mckessie coming down the stairs with a smile on her face.

"She'll be down in a minute." She said as she reached the last step.

"Okay." Chad replied as he looked at the corsage that he had gotten Taylor.

He heard footsteps again and when he listed his head up, he saw the most beautiful person in the world. Taylor was walking down the stairs, her hair curly and flowing down her back like a waterfall. Her dress clung to her figure as she descended the stairs, the medium purple accenting her dark skin. Chad noticed that she had on some light purple eye shadow, and other light colors.

"Wow." Was all that Chad could say.

"Thanks." Taylor said with a blush.

"Well, I think that we need to take some pictures of my baby girl." Mr. McKessie said as he walked into the room, a camera in his hand.

"Daddy!" Taylor whined.

"Come on sweetie, just a few pictures." Mr. McKessie argued with his daughter lightly.

"Find Daddy." Taylor mumbled as she gave Chad an apologetic smile.

"I like this idea, my Mom was actually wondering if you could get doubles, she wants some of the pictures…if that is okay." Chad said with a smile at Taylor.

"Of course!" Mrs. McKessie said as she grabbed the corsage that Taylor had bought for Chad.

"Here you go." Chad said as he got the corsage out and slid it onto Taylor's wrist.

"Thanks Chad. It's beautiful." Taylor said with a smile. Taylor grabbed the box from her Mom, and pinned the corsage onto Chad's jacket pocket.

"Pictures!" Mrs. McKessie said as Taylor and Chad walked into the living room where the fireplace was. Taylor rolled her eyes but posed for all the pictures that her parents wanted.

No matter what embarrassment her parents put her through, Chad stood by her, taking it all in and still looking happy about it. She thought that he would to anything, to just be with her, and for that, she was grateful.


	9. Are You Happy Now?

This is the last chapter! I hope that you like it. Like I said before, if you want to see some of the pictures, look at my profile for the links. Read and enjoy, and reviews are always apreciated.

**Are You Happy Now?**

Taylor sighed as she looked in her mirror, she was graduating today. She and Chad had a great time at prom, and Gabriella and Troy won Prom Queen and King. Taylor looked at the red graduation gown that she wore. She noticed one thing about it; red was not her color…well at least not this red. She had on a white sash that hung on her shoulders, and a medal that represented her GPA. She grabbed her speech, since she was the Valedictorian. It was time to leave High School behind.

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"And, now, ladies and gentlemen, Taylor McKessie, our Valedictorian." The principal said as everyone started to clap for Taylor. Taylor smiled at this as she made her way up to the stage.

"Ever since I was a little girl, I wanted to be Valedictorian, and now that I am, I can't even believe it. So many people deserve this honor, and yet, I got it. When I was a freshman at East High, we had our different groups, and those groups didn't mingle. This lasted for two years. When our class entered our Junior year, that changed." Taylor began with a smile, she remember the events as if they had happened yesterday.

"What changed our school? It was two people who I have come to love like my siblings, even though I am an only child. Troy Bolton and Gabriella Montez broke our schools rules, the Captain of the basketball team tried out for the winter musical, and a _Geek_ as some of the people had called her, went with him. Now, for most people, this wouldn't be such a bit even, but for ours, it was." Taylor said as she smiled again.

"We needed to accept it, but we didn't. It took a long time for everyone to accept that we were all equal, and we were all in this together. With this change of heart, our lives become more accepting. We broke out of the social circles, and by doing that, we made life happier then it had been in a long time." Taylor said as she looked out at her classmates.

"We learned that Troy wasn't just a popular basketball star, but he was a kind person, and a good singer. We all learned that Gabriella was smart, but also funny and sweet. Now, one of the most amazing things we learned was that Sharpay wasn't just some Ice Queen that everyone pegged her to be, she is sweet and she is a loyal friend. Now Chad, he wasn't just some airhead jock, but he was smart, and he cared for his friends. Why am I saying all of this? We all grew up together those few years at East High, and we learned about ourselves, and each other." Taylor said as she looked out at her friends.

"Now, I am not going to bore you with all of the normal stuff. But, what I will tell you is that this is only the beginning. Many people here are going to go onto bigger, and brighter things then what was given to us in these School walls." Taylor said as she motioned towards the school.

"So, the advice I will give you, live life to the fullest, you can do anything, just try. So, my fellow classmates, one last thing I have to say, we made it!" Taylor yelled. She was followed by screams and applause; she smiled as she walked away from the podium.

"Thank you Miss McKessie." The principal said before calling out names of the graduates.

"Troy Bolton." The principal announced after about ten names. Troy stood up and was welcomed with thunderous applause. He smiled sweetly and accepted his diploma.

"Chad Danforth." The principal said as Chad walked up to him and shook his hand.

"Go Chad!" Taylor yelled to her boyfriend.

"Ryan Evans." The principal said as Ryan came up to him.

"Sharpay Evans." The principal said once Ryan had left the stage.

"Taylor McKessie." The principal said as Taylor walked up to him, a broad smile on her face.

"Go Tay! Love you!" Chad hollered from the audience. Taylor blushed before walking off the stage.

"Gabriella Montez." The principal said as Gabriella walked quickly onto the stage.

After all the names were called, the principal stood at the podium, a large smile on his face.

"Congratulations to the class of 2008!" He said as screams of triumph could be heard from the graduates.

Chad picked Taylor up and spun her around in circles with pure joy written on his face.

"Love you." Chad said once he had placed her back onto her feet. She smiled as she kissed his quickly.

"Love you too." Taylor said with a very large smile.

As pictures were being taken, Chad grasped Taylor's hand in his own and pulled her away from the chaos.

"Chad, where are you taking me?" Taylor said with an uncharacteristic giggle.

"You'll see." Chad said as he pulled Taylor to the lake that was behind the school. When they stood under a large tree by the lakeside, Chad stopped.

"Chad?" Taylor asked as she tilted her head to the side slightly.

"Taylor, I am going to ask you something, very important." Chad said as he fiddled with something in his pocket.

"Okay." Taylor said as she bit her lip hesitantly.

"Taylor, I love you, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I want to know that you are mine, and that I am yours." Chad said as he pulled a small black velvet box out of his pocket. Taylor gasped.

"Chad." Taylor said as tears started to form in her eyes.

"Shhh." Chad said as he held his finger to her lips. "I love you, I love how you make me smile, and I love how you make me be a better person. Taylor, I give you this promise ring, but by accepting it, you are going to promise that one day, when I ask you to marry me, you are going to say yes, and make me the happiest person on the face of this earth." Chad said as he opened the box so that the small diamond glittered in the sunlight.

"Do you promise?" Chad whispered.

"Yes." Taylor said with a single tear trailing down her cheek. Chad smiled as he pulled the ring out of the box and slipped it onto her left ring finger, it fit perfectly.

"I love you." Chad said as he kissed her passionately.

I love you too!" Taylor said as she looked at the ring on her finger, a wide smile on her face.

"Are you happy now?" Chad asked as he tilted her face up to his.

Taylor tilted her head to the side as a small smile spread over her face. _Are you happy now?_ Her mind asked as she looked at Chad.

"Yeah." Taylor said with a bigger smile. "I am." She said before Chad pulled her into a heart-stopping kiss that made her melt.


End file.
